I like sweet potatoes in any shape or form, but it is a vegetable I have only got to know the last couple of years. It is very easy to cook with sweet potatoes because they cook through so quickly and have so much flavour in themselves.

A warming dish is this soup with cumin, coconut milk and chilli. I made some cheese straws from left over puff pastry and grated cheese, and they are really nice too.

Sweet potato soup with coconut milk and cumin, serves 4

4 sweet potatoes

a dash of concentrated vegetable stock

water

400 ml coconut milk

3 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chilli flakes

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into even pieces. Place in a pan and just cover with water. Add a splash of stock and bring to the boil. Cook until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the sweet potatoes but keep the water. Purée the vegetables and add the coconut milk to the pan. Bring to the boil, season with cumin, chilli, salt and pepper. Add some water if the soup is to thick. Serve with perhaps a dollop of creme fraiche and chopped coriander.

Cheese straws, serves 2

ca 20 cm x 10 cm puff pastry

100 ml grated mature cheddar

Cut the pastry into inch-thick straws and sprinkle cheese on them. Place in 200C oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the straws are a golden brown. Serve with soup or with drinks.